What’s An Endorfluencer?

, by

Hey all, Greetings from Cat and Kregel Publications! When I came to work this morning, I was planning on writing this post about a completely different topic. But when I sat down at my desk, I did what every marketing manager does when she first arrives in the office—I opened my email. In hindsight, that probably wasn’t the best thing to do because I spent the next hour answering queries from ad reps, questions from coworkers, and quandaries from authors. One email in particular took me by surprise. Written by a first-time author, the email was only a few sentences…

Read More

The (Launch) Party’s Over

, by

Hi, all – Ava Pennington here. My last two posts were about planning a book launch party for my first book, One Year Alone with God: 366 Devotions on the Names of God. I’m not a marketing expert, but I learned as much as I could from those who are. The posts described the planning necessary for a successful launch party. In case you missed them, check out Planning a Launch Party – Part I and Part II. Well, the party was a success! Almost 100 people came to celebrate with me and it was a special  time shared with…

Read More

Tips from the Pros: Ava Pennington

, by

Greetings from Sarah Sundin, all refreshed from a wonderful writers’ retreat in beautiful Monterey. Today I have the privilege of interviewing author Ava Pennington. Ava’s first book, One Year Alone with God was published by Revell in October 2010, but Ava also has a long list of magazine articles to her credit and two children’s books in the works. Ava, how did you get into writing? I began writing as an extension of a teaching ministry. When I started writing as a serious pursuit, I had a passion to write non-fiction. However, the advice I received was that without a…

Read More

To Tour Or Not To Tour

, by

How to Make Your Blog Tours More Successful An author recently asked me (Cat Hoort), “do blog tours really work?” I sat silent for a moment, wondering how to react. I could be shocked: “What do you MEAN? Of course they work!” I could be ambivalent: “Meh. Sometimes they do. Sometimes they don’t.” I could be doubtful: “Not really. But we can keep our fingers crossed.” I could be enthusiastic: “Absolutely! All the time. Every time!” So which one is it?

Read More

Tips from the Pros: Diana Brandmeyer

, by

Greetings from Sarah Sundin on a crisp fall day that makes me want to cuddle up in a warm quilt – perhaps like one of the quilts author Diana Brandmeyer features on her website. Not only is she an extraordinary quilter, she’s a gifted writer with plenty to share with us today. Diana, how did you get into writing? Like many, I wrote stories when I was little, but it wasn’t until the birth of my second child I realized I could make a little money and share my faith with my stories. I started writing devotions for children, which…

Read More

I’m Planning a Party! – Part II

, by

Hi, all – Ava Pennington here. Planning a book launch party is a labor of love. It’s a lot of work, but since it’s for my baby, I don’t mind! Last month I covered planning and logistics for a successful book launch party. If you missed it, here’s the link to Part I. This month, let’s talk about invitations and publicity for your book launch party.

Read More

Oprah Works For Me

, by

Oprah Winfrey is one of the world’s most successful and influential women. Her TV show is broadcast to 145 countries across the globe. Oprah’s Book Club has over 2 million online members and can make a book an instant bestseller. Oprah’s website averages 7.5 million unique visitors a month. Her satellite radio show draws millions more. And next fall Oprah launches her own TV network called OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network). So it might be a surprise that Oprah works for me.

Read More

Tips from the Pros: Linda Kozar

, by

Greeting from Sarah Sundin in California, where it’s finally feeling like fall. Today I have the pleasure of interviewing multi-published author, Linda Kozar, who has some seriously clever answers. What do you expect from someone whose latest title is Babes with a Beatitude?  Linda, how did you get into writing? I started out freelancing personal interest stories for various newspapers, earning next to nothing but developing valuable writing skills and learning to work on tight deadlines. Then in 2003, I decided I’d had enough of that stuff and determined to put my efforts toward writing a book.  Of course, the first book I wrote wasn’t…

Read More

Tips from the Pros: Candy Arrington

, by

Greetings from Sarah Sundin on a warm September day in California. I’ve entered a new phase in my life as my husband and I moved our oldest son into the dorms for his freshman year of college. New phases make you consider the future – what if the future involves caring for your parents? Did you know 25 percent of Americans are caring for an aging parent? Today I have the honor of interviewing Candy Arrington, a speaker and prolific writer of magazine articles. Her most recent book is When Your Aging Parent Needs Care: Practical Help for this Season of Life from Harvest House….

Read More

Tips from the Pros: Rhonda Gibson

, by

Hello from Sarah Sundin in northern California.Today I have the privilege of interviewing award-winning author Rhonda Gibson, who writes Christian romances – contemporary mysteries and historicals. In 2009, A Connecticut Christmas, a novella collection she contributed to, received the American Christian Fiction Writers Book of the Year Award, and in 2007, her novel To Trust an Outlaw won the Heartsong Presents Favorite Historical Novel award. Rhonda, how did you get into writing? I started writing when I was young; it was my love of reading that led to writing. I know that’s the normal answer and it’s true for me, too. How many books do…

Read More